Harry Changeling Potter
by endario
Summary: what if Harry was a changeling? might this be the power the dark one knows not? story idea made by Mellra
1. Chapter 1

Harry had never felt quite right. He felt something odd. He felt hungry, but in a different way. When he was growing up, he knew that he was never given the right amount of food. That went to his pig of a cousin, Dudley. The Dursleys made it abundantly clear that they only kept Harry around because he did work. Vernon Dursley would work him to the bone, and expect him to be grateful that they didn't throw him out on the street.

When Harry found out he was a wizard, he was exuberant. He could finally get away from the Dursleys. Harry had gotten his school supplies, and the giant man who had taken him to get said supplies, Hagrid, had gotten him a beautiful owl that he named Hedwig. After a little while, the odd hunger was lessened a little. Though it was only through hindsight that he noticed.

Once Harry was on the Hogwarts express, he met two people who would be both his anchor and his lifeline for years to come, Harry met his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Once at Hogwarts, Harry's unusual hunger began to disperse. He had once believed that it was simply because he had received three decent meals a day, but he figured out that it was much more that that. During the middle of the year, Harry had helped Hagrid smuggle a baby dragon to one of Ron's brothers, who would bring the dragon to a reserve where it belonged. They had been caught, and Gryffindor had lost 150 points. The rest of Gryffindor had regarded Harry and Co. with cold distaste. This brought back the hungry feeling that Harry had suffered through while with the Dursleys. Using logic, Harry deduced that his hunger was tied to the amount of affection he received from others.

He felt very fortunate that he had established strong bonds with his friends, Ron and Hermione the most, but he was also very close to Hagrid and another first year, Neville Longbottom. It wasn't until the end of the year that Harry learnt why he was affected by emotion so much. And the truth would change him forever.

Harry was deep in the bowels of Hogwarts, fighting the DADA teacher, Professor Quirrell. The mad teacher was under the thrall of Lord Voldemort, the same dark lord that had killed Harry's Parents and forced Harry to live with the Dursleys. A few feet to the left of the dueling wizards, sat the Philosopher's stone, a powerful artifact that could extend life. Harry stepped to the side, putting his body between Quirrell and the stone, and the irate two faced monster lunged at the boy. As Quirrel made a grab for Harry, however, something odd happened. Quirrell's hand began to sear like it had touched hot iron. At the same time, Harry felt a incredible power flow into him. It was similar to when Hermione would ruffle his mess of a hair, or when Ron would sling his arm around Harry, only a thousand times stronger! Harry felt like he had been struck by lightning and the bolt had given him a super charge. Capitalizing of Quirrell's weakness, Harry jumped at him, clawing at his face. Quirrell screamed in pain as his skin was torched, and the power only grew inside of him. As Quirrell burned and Voldemort screamed in fury and pain from the back of his head, Harry felt the power boil over, finally too much for his body to handle. As he began to pass out, Harry saw light green flames wash over him.

Then there was nothing.

-timeskip-

Harry groggily opened his eyes, hissing as the bright moonlight seared his poor retinas. Harry tried to sit up, but his body betrayed him. He was sore, his body aching as he tried to move. With a groan, he took in his surroundings with slowly adjusting eyes. Catching a glint of gold, Harry focused on what he thought was a snitch, only for the snitch to turn into the spectacle of one Albus Dumbledore. A soft hoot also drew Harry's attention to the comforting presence of Hedwig, perched on his bed frame.

"Easy, Harry. You've been through a lot recently." Dumbledore soothed, his voice even softer than Harry had ever heard it. With a jolt, memories began to pour into Harry. The stone. THE STONE! Quirrell had the stone!

"Professor! The…. The stone!" Harry managed to get out, his voice suddenly hoarse. Dumbledore smiled a soft smile, and held his hands up in a soothing gesture.

"Harry, Professor Quirrell does not have the stone. Now please calm down before Madam Pomfrey kicks me out." with difficulty, Harry managed to calm himself down. Seeing that the young student was calming down, Dumbledore explained to Harry the event that had transpired. Once Dumbledore had realized that his emergency summons to the Ministry had been a ploy, the elderly Headmaster swiftly made his way back to the school. As the Professor arrived at the third room in the third choradore, he noticed that the trapdoor had been opened. Dumbledore made his way down through the devil's snare to find Hermione and an unconscious Ron waiting for them. After charming the snare to act as a staircase, Dumbledore set off as fast as he could to reach the final chamber. Dumbledore arrived just in time to rescue Harry from the possessed Quirrell. Although the man was little more that a walking ashtray at that point. Dumbledore then carried Harry to the medical wing.

"Umm… Professor? Did Quirrell use any weird spells on me? I don't feel right… my body feels weird." Harry said, his voice laced with confusion and concern. The more Harry's thoughts drifted away from the threat of Quirrell, the more he realized that he felt… off. His joints felt strange, like they weren't meant to lay like he was. Harry could feel added weights on his forehead, back, and spine. There were also large points in his body, where he skin felt taunt, like it was stretching. Dumbledore's sigh of defeat and the sad look in his eye did little to ease Harry's thoughts.

"Just like your mother, you are. Very astute." he muttered to himself. The Headmaster reached over and grasped a corner of the bed sheet.

"Harry, please keep an open mind. I know that this is going to be difficult to accept, but you are going to have to." Harry nodded. The elderly professor slowly pulled back the covers over Harry's upper body to reveal an absence of the pale human skin that Harry had. It took every inch of Harry's willpower to fight back the scream that emerged from his throat. His body was covered in a shiny black carapace. Harry shakily raised a hand to touch the substance that covered his body, and he noticed the difference in his 'hand'. His hand was gone. In its place was a thick stump, also covered in the substance, with several hole that appeared to be natural.

"What…. WHAT am I?" Harry asked, his voice very quiet. Dumbledore sighed. With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore charmed a mirror into existence. In it, Harry saw what looked like a horse face, with a long muzzle. Sharp fangs protruded from the top jaw, and Harry could see that he had a forked tongue. He had large, green, pupiless eyes, and a short curved horn. As the mirror adjusted itself, per the whims of Dumbledore, Harry could see that he had small insectile wings coming from his back. Harry felt many feelings suddenly overtake him. Anger, shock, disgust, denial, fear and… pride? The conflicting emotions overwhelmed him, numbing him. Dumbledore put a comforting hand on Harry's black, shinny shoulder. A welcomed gesture.

"That answer i do not know. I have been searching for years to discover where you came from. But i need to explain how this happened, so please bear with me Harry." He said. Harry nodded mutely.

"On the day when you were born," Dumbledore began, " Lily and James Potter were hot on the chase of a small group of Voldemort's followers, who had eluded them for many months.

They had eventually tracked them down into a house that was at the edge of Hogsmeade. Once they had caught up to the death eaters, Jily and James discovered them in the middle of a dark ritual. The pair fought the death eaters until they could be captured and contained, but a few stray spells hit the ritual. The result was the ritual summoning a small green and black egg. James was about to pick it up, when it hatched, and out came a small creature that looked like a cross between a foal and a bug larvae. The small creature looked at the pair, then was engulfed in a blue-green fire. In its place was a small child, with James' face and Lily's eyes. Not knowing what to do, they took the child to me. I was able to determine that the small creature had turned into an exact genetic match to the couple. The couple had been trying for a child for a while, but had been unable to conceive. With the knowledge that the child was genetically theirs, the Potters agreed to take in the new child. They named him Harry james Potter."

Harry gave a start at that.

"Do you mean that mom and dad weren't…" he began to ask, before Dumbledore shook him gently.

"James and Lily were parents in the ways that mattered, Harry. You are their son. It doesn't matter how you came into the world, they took you in as their son, and loved you as one. Never forget that Harry. You were loved." Tears threatened to spill out of Harry's big, blue eyes.

The elderly professor gave a small smile.

" a lesson that some purebloods have yet to learn. Family is more that blood." the wise man said. Harry sat back,

"D-do i have a biological, er, do i have a birth family?" Harry asked, fumbling on his words. Dumbledore shook his head.

"I am sorry Harry, but i have spent 10 years searching for your species. I have had no luck. As far as i can tell, you are the only one of your kind the wizarding world has ever known. My guess is that the ritual that summoned you on that fateful night was somehow either able to create you out of nothing, or brought you to us from another plane of existence. The only other option is that your kind lives in this world, and is hidden due to their powerful shapeshifting abilities." the professor explained. Harry's ears perked up at that.

"Shapeshifting?" he asked. Dumbledore chuckled.

"But of course, my dear boy. You have the ability to change your form. From my tests, it is both biological and magical. Similar to what the bogart does, but on a level never seen before. You actually shift on the genetic level, to the point where your could spend the rest of your life as a bird, and no one would know the difference. Your shape shifting was so good, in fact, that you fooled yourself into thinking you were human for 10 years." Harry took a minute to process that information. Deciding to brave the question, Harry looked to the professor,

"Professor? Did you know that i feed of of love?" he asked. The white bearded man blanched at the boy, so Harry decided to alabortate.

" when i was with the dursleys, i always felt hungry. Even when they fed me properly, still felt hungry. When i came to Hogwarts, i was suddenly full. I at first thought it was just the food, but after the dragon incident." Harry winced at the reminder, "the hunger came back. I realized that it was the affection i got from everyone that made me feel like that. I practically latched onto my friends after that. Not that they complained." Dumbledore nodded his head, taking in the information. Then he looked at Harry, processing what Harry had said,

"Harry. What do you mean, fed properly?" he asked, his voice hard. Harry gulped, he knew that this was coming.

"They hate me, professor. They lock me in a cupboard. They give me only enough to survive. And take that away when im bad. And by bad, i mean when i show up their son in anything. They locked me in the cupboard for weeks after a got a higher grade on a math test!" Harry cried, his voice getting more and more hysterical by the second.

"I'm begging you, professor, please don't send me back. They hate me, and i don't think that i will survive another year…" Harry muttered that last part, but Albus still picked it up. The headmaster put a gentle hand under Harry's muzzle. Slowly lifting up his snout, Dumbledore gave Harry a kind smile.

"Harry, you are not returning to your relatives. Even if I hadn't known about…. That." Dumbledore's expression hardened. It took Albus a moment to calm himself down. The elderly headmaster sighed, he did not want to tell Harry about this, but he had no choice.

"Harry, the only reason you were at the Dursleys was because there were powerful blood wards put in place by myself to protect you and your only living relatives. If i had known that they mistreated you, i wouldn't have left you in their care. I am truly sorry, it is my fault. You will be staying at Hogwarts until we can find a foster family who can take you in." Dumbledore said, and relief flashed in Harry's eyes. Deciding to change the subject, Dumbledore asked Harry to try to turn back into a human. Bewildered, Harry agreed. As soon as he thought of his old body, however, a flash of green flames erupted from Harry's feet. It travelled up his length, and as the green moved up, the black chitin was replaced by soft human flesh. Harry looked at his hands in amazement, now that he had them back. Dumbledore chuckled, his amusement of Harry's expression was apparent. Hedwig gave a small coo of encouragement, happy that her master had resumed his usual form. Dumbledore spoke,

"I'm glad that you still have your shapeshifting abilities, Harry. From what i can tell, that is your species's main way of protecting themselves." the headmaster had a gleam in his eyes,

"Try turning into me." he commanded. Harry looked at Dumbledore bewildered, but nodded nonetheless complied with his elder. Deciding to do what he did with his own body, Harry focused on what the professor looked like, his golden spectacles, his crooked nose, his long beard. The green flash of fire fizzled to life once more, and in Harry's place, stood a second Dumbledore. The original smirked, as if he knew what kinds of trouble Harry could get into.

"Now Harry. I wish to stress that you must keep this part of you a secret. Others would judge you heavily, some might even wish to have you killed. Please do not abuse your shapeshifting abilities." Dumbledore pleaded with Harry. Harry nodded, before a thought came to mind.

"Dumbledore, can i tell Ron and Hermione? I don't think i'd be able to keep **this** from them…" the clone of Dumbledore said, tapping his fingers together in a gesture unbefitting of the wizard's appearance. The door to the infirmary burst open, and Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger charged into the ward. The duo stopped dead at the sight of two Albus Dumbledores, one had an expression of exasperated fondness, the other, untamed terror. The frightened Dumbledore disappeared in a flash of green flame to reveal,

"Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice frail, a far cry from her usual confident voice. Harry whimpered, then nodded, looking Hermione straight in the eyes. Both party members flinched as Harry's occlumency walls faltered and Hermione was shown Harry's fear, absolute unadulterated terror. How Hermione was able to see his fear, neither quite knew, but on that day, she looked into the mind of her best friend. With a quick stride, Hermione broke the mind link, and enveloped Harry in a warm hug. Ron snapped out of his stupor, and rushed over to hug his friend too.

"It will take a lot more than that to scare me away, Harry." Hermione whispered into Harry's ear. And the dam broke. Slumping in the arms of his best friends arms, Harry began to cry. Dumbledore had taken the exchange as his que to leave.

The fragile eleven year old cried in the warm embrace of true friends, until he had no tears left to cry. Both of his friends fought back tears as Harry told them everything, from his full treatment at the Dursley household, to how he felt after the dragon incident, up to the final fight with Quirrell. Harry did not want any more secrets with his friends, and he knew he would have to tell them the truth about what he was. Pulling away from his friends, Harry took a deep breath,

"Guys, there's something you have to see." he started, Hermione nodded, already knowing what he was about to show them, but deciding to not say anything. It might throw Harry off, and make him clam up. Harry stood, and took a deep breath. He was engulfed in green flames again, and he was replaced by a quadruped creature. Hermione gave a soft sigh, proud that her friend had mustered the courage to show them. Very Gryffindor. Ron's reaction was much more obvious. Ron flinched, and took a step back, looking at the shiny black horse like creature in front of him. Harry's ears flattened on his skull. His eyes watered, and a low, pitiful whine emerged from his throat. Ron mentally smacked himself, before he approached Harry.

"No, no, no. Harry, i didn't mean that… i'm just, surprised." Ron spoke softly, as if too loud of a sound would frighten Harry off, and he would never see him again. Harry sniffed, before he buried his head into Ron's gut, keeping his pointed horn far away from Ron's vulnerable belly. Ron gave a small laugh, absently petting the back of Harry's head. He quickly realized what he was doing, however, and made to pull back, or he would have, had he not heard the purr coming from Harry with each stroke. Hermione giggled at the display, before she approached as well. Settling down with Harry in between herself and Ron, Hermione petted Harry as well. Under normal circumstances, Harry would have protested such and act, but he found that he didn't really care at the moment. Harry purred and purred, growing more embarrassed but also very pleased at the display.

Albus had returned to the Hospital ward, with a small bag of lemon drops clutched his his hand, to find the most adorable sight he had ever laid eyes upon. Harry sat atop his bed, with his two best friends beside him, Ron leaning against the headboard to Harry's left, with Hermione sitting cross-legged to his right. Both of the friends were playing with Harry's mane and wings, much to the boy's slight annoyance. Albus let out a small chuckle at the scene in front of him. The three on the bed looked at the headmaster, before Hermione blushed, and let go of Harry's wing. Said wing fluttered for a bit, before pressing snugly at his side.

"Well then, i do believe that the two of you are taking Harry's…. Situation rather well. But i am afraid that it is time for the two of you to go to bed. Off you trot." the headmaster said, his eyes twinkling kindly. Hermione and Ron looked hesitant to leave their friend, but gave in. with one last hug from both of them, they bid Harry goodnight. As the two walked off to Gryffindor tower, Dumbledore gave Harry a pat on the head. "Time for you to sleep as well, Harry." he said, and Harry nodded quietly. The headmaster bade him goodnight, and Harry fell into a blissful sleep, with his beloved owl standing guard for her master.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time that the end of year feast rolled around, Harry was well enough to be discharged from the Hospital Wing. The Hall was filled with students and food, and Harry basked in the delicious affection that he felt from the Gryffindor table. It was jarring for Harry to finally know why he was different, but after working things through with Hermione and Ron, Harry figured that it was for the best that he knew what he was. And despite the fact that he wasn't human, Ron and Hermione treated him no differently. Speaking of which, Harry could feel the love that they had for him; it was warm, tender, a summer's breeze amongst the furious maelstrom that was the emotions in the Great Hall at the moment. They were a beacon for Harry, an anchor to keep him from being lost in all the excitement that was the Hall.

Ron noticed that Harry had stopped moving, and suppressed a sigh. He glanced at Hermione, who had also reached the same conclusion. If Harry could be full off of their friendships, then how could he have possibly been able to bear the Great Hall? The trio had quickly realized that since Harry had come to terms with what he was, his ability to sense emotions and consume them had skyrocketed. He looked about ready to pass out, if Ron was honest with himself.

Ron and Hermione positioned themselves on either side of Harry, their presence a comfort to the small boy. Hermione wrapped her arm around Harry, as the two gently guided Harry to his seat. This action did not go unnoticed by multiple people, namely Minerva McGonagall and Draco Malfoy. McGonagall gave a small smile at the endearing interaction between the Gryffindor "Golden Trio". Draco, however, had a malicious grin that would not have looked out of place on a shark, and let out a barking laugh.

"It looks like Potter can't even walk around without his goons to help him!" the blond heir cried, his bodyguards Crabbe and Goyle snickering beside him. A few of the older years chuckled at the irony.

Harry turned his head to glare at Draco,

"You weren't talking so tough back in the Forbidden Forest. Wonder how brave you'd be if I snuck up on you in the dead of night disguised as a creature from there…" he muttered angrily. Hermione rapped him of the shoulder.

"Harry! You can't do that. You have to keep it a secret, remember?" She scolded. Harry sighed exasperatedly, before looking back at Draco to glare at the pureblood.

Hermione watched as Harry's eyes glowed a soft green, and a similar glow appeared on Draco's robes. With a small flash, Draco's pants dropped, revealing a pair of pink underwear, with white hearts on them. As the Hall erupted into laughter, Draco blushed a deep crimson before running out of the Hall. As he ran, he revealed cursive writing on his bottom, saying 'Daddy's Little Princess'. This caused even more laughter to explode out of the other students, even some of the older Slytherins had trouble keeping their snickers.

Snape glared at Harry, clearly wanting to take points away from the spoiled brat, but not having any concrete evidence to prove that he did it. After all, there was no way Potter was capable of wandless and wordless magic.

Dumbledore had a small smirk on his face before clearing his throat and saying,

"With that out of the way, I believe it is time to tally up the points and announce the House Cup winner."

Up in Gryffindor tower, the feeling was exuberant. They had won the House Cup! Once the celebrating ended, the students raced up to their dorms to pack their trunks. Up in the first year boy's dorm, Harry helped Ron pack up his trunk for the ride back to England.

"I can't believe that you have to stay at Hogwarts… for the whole summer!" Ron cried, earning both of them a look from Neville. He looked bewildered at the fact that Harry was staying at Hogwarts for the summer, but after a brief description of what happens at the Dursleys, he quickly agreed that it was the best option.

The three made their way down the the Common Room, with Harry and Ron exchanging Neville for Hermione as Neville went to chat with Dean Thomas about something. The Golden Trio made their way down the the Great Hall, and followed the Gryffindor Prefects towards the Hogwarts Express station.

Harry waved goodbye to his friends from the deck of the train platform smiling sadly as the scarlet engine jettisoned a blast of steam. The large train slowly began to pull out of the station. Harry's soft smile faded a little as the train cars passed, and he had a downtrodden look as the last car pulled out of site.

Turning around, Harry walked over to Hagrid, who have volunteered to chaperone Harry to and from the station. The half giant gave harry a soft smile,

"Chin up Harry! You'll see yer friends in no time. Now let's get you back to Hogwarts, I'm sure Dumbledore has a plan ter let you stay 'ere along with the teachers tha' stay." He said, draping a huge arm around Harry's small frame, and the two started walking back to Hogwarts. Harry gave a content sigh, nuzzling into the great mole-skin sleeve.

"Not every friend I have is leaving for the summer, I have you." Harry said, shyly ducking his head in embarrassment. Hagrid stopped walking and looked at Harry with shimmering eyes. With tears of joy, Hagrid swept Harry into a bone cracking hug, spinning the boy around.

"Blimey Harry! You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that!" the large man exclaimed, setting Harry down and chuckling a bit as he helped steady the poor boy. Once Harry's world stopped spinning, the duo set out towards the magic castle.

The two walked in silence for a while as both the carriages and boats were not available, the two had to walk the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Hagrid?" Harry tentatively asked, his small voice making Hagrid stop and turn around.

"Yes Harry?"

"Did Dumbledore tell you how I beat Quirrell?" he asked, to which Hagrid shook his shaggy head.

"No, he said to ask yeh when yer ready. Said t'was somethin' only you could tell."

Harry took a deep breath, before he looked at Hagrid, "This is how I beat Quirrell." The familiar green fire swirled around the Boy Who Lived. It quickly cleared to reveal Harry in his true form, standing on his hind legs. Harry stumbled a little before falling to all fours, unused to being quadruped.

Harry tentatively looked up at Hagrid, and the giant of a man couldn't help but be mesmerized by Harry's big, expressive green eyes. The two stood in silence for several moments before a wide smile showed through Hagrid's beard.

"Blimey Harry! An Animagus a' yer age? Yeh really are somethin' else, ain't ya?" Hagrid said, patting Harry's chitin covered head affectionately. Harry blushed a light blue on his darkened skin, but leaned into Hagrid all the same. While not the response he was expecting, Harry figured it would be for the best not to question it seeing as that was just the sort of person Hagrid is.

The groundskeeper then took a few minutes looking over Harry's "Animagus form", complimenting him on how unique of a creature the boy could turn into and how he'd never seen anything like it. While Hagrid went to admire Harry's fangs and horn, the Changeling boy couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for not telling his first friend the whole truth, but decided it was probably better this way.

Harry was glad though that Hagrid had come to the Animagus conclusion on his own instead of the truth about Harry's lack of humanity. Having discussed it with Dumbledore earlier, they had decided that if anyone were to see his true form they would say that he was an Animagus of an unknown species of animal, with an Animagus being a witch or wizard who can transform themselves into a single animal. As long as no one sees him change into anything else, no one would be the wiser. And Hagrid, while being a good man, wasn't the best at keeping secrets, the events of this year proving that.

After Harry changed back, the rest of the trip to Hogwarts was dull comparatively, but soon the two reached the main hall doors. Hagrid fumbled with his keys, before he selected a small stone, about the size of a clementine orange. It had intricate runes etched into it. Hagrid pressed the stone to the door and the runes glowed a soft blue, before the door rumbled open.

"Runestone Key." Hagrid explained, "Dumbledore warded the main door, so tha' the trouble with Quirrell won't happen again. He plans by summer's end ta ward all the doors the teachers use this way."

As the two entered the Great Hall, Harry noticed how empty it felt. Not just how much space felt cold without the other students, but also the cold lack of emotions. The Great Hall was always abuzz with people, but now it just felt empty.

Harry shivered a little at the lack of warmth that usually radiated from the Gryffindor table. The teachers at the staff table all looked at the door of the hall to see who had opened it.

Harry had started to make his way to the empty Gryffindor table but Hagrid stopped him.

"No Harry, come eat with us." Hagrid said. Harry beamed up at the large man.

Dumbledore and McGonagall shared a small smile at the look of jubilation on young Harry's face as he made his way to the staff hall, followed by a bemused Hagrid. Dumbledore had explained to Minerva that Harry was a unique case and actually subsisted on emotions as well as food. He had refrained from telling her the whole story regarding his ability, as much as it pained him to do so. However, he realized that it was for Harry's safety that he do so. He had to trust his teachers enough to tell them. Dumbledore had already failed Harry by leaving him with the Dursleys, and he vowed to never fail the young boy again.

"So, Potter gets to stay here? Did he throw a tantrum about having to go back to his loving family?" Snape snarled with a look of disdain on his haughty features, and Harry flinched. The small boy looked down, tears brimming in his eyes at the thought of his abusive Aunt and Uncle. Dumbledore sent a warning look at the Potions master, and rose to his feet.

"If I could have the table's attention." Dumbledore said as he lightly tapped his goblet with his fork,

" I would like to make something known. As I am some of you have noticed, we still have a student in our halls. Harry Potter will not be returning home to his guardians, the Dursleys…" The elder professor looked at Snape, "Due to the rampant abuse Harry has faced there. He will remain at Hogwarts until we can find an appropriate guardian for him. That is all." the reactions amongst the teachers were unique, but all conveyed a single emotion, and one didn't have to have Harry's empathic abilities to see the shock on people's faces.

Most of Harry's current teachers displayed shock and anger, that the small, sweet boy was being abused, McGonagall and Sprout and his other female teachers showed outrage at his upbringing, with McGonagall being the most angered, as she had warned Albus that they were the worst sort of people a decade ago.

Flitwick looked to be in turmoil, and indeed he was. Though he was generally a lighthearted, though easily excitable man, he was still half goblin, and if there was one thing that goblins valued more than gold, it was family. Half of him wanted to rip those wretched Muggles apart!

Professor Trelawney looked shocked, even her inner eye had not predicted this.

But by far, the most shocked by this news was Snape. The man had LOATHED the man that was Harry's father, and saw much more of James in the boy that he did Lily. He was also under the impression that Harry was a spoiled brat like his father, only furthered by the boy's fame in the Wizarding World. But to learn the child was abused… Severus was no stranger to abuse. He himself was abused as a child, and help many a Slytherin who had stepped out of line in front of their pureblood family. Though he could do little against the wealth and power of most pureblood lords, he could at least comfort the children when he could. Snape knew then and there that while he could not be expressly nice to the boy (both because of his parentage but that it also might compromise his cover among the Death Eaters), but he would stop singling him out.

Hagrid was infuriated that Harry, this small, kind and sweet boy had been hurt. He was almost tempted to go to the Dursleys and finish what he'd started with their porker of a son, his illegal use of magic be damned.

Vernon and Petunia Dursley thought themselves very normal, thank you very much. However in truth they had accomplished something truly extraordinary. They had managed to make every single teacher at Hogwarts agree on one thing, perhaps for the first time in the history of Hogwarts. That the Dursleys were the worst kind of people, and at least they all deserved life in Azkaban.

Dumbledore gently walked over to Harry and guided him to an empty chair, and sat himself back down in the Headmaster's chair. Harry was thoroughly sandwiched between Professor McGonagall and Flitwick. With a small pop, food started to fill the staff table, and Harry blushed a little as both McGonagall and Flitwick piled up food onto Harry's plate. With a small call, Hedwig made her way to Harry's chair, seamingly popping into existence. Harry animatedly greeted her, offering a chunk of meat for her. Hedwig happily accepted, and gently nipped his fingers in appreciation. The other professors smiled or chuckled at the cute display. Rarely had they seen a bond as close as what they saw with Harry and his precious snowy owl.

As they ate, Harry could only sigh contently at his quickly filling belly and the warm feeling he was getting from the teachers, even Snape was lacking his usual dark aura.

After dinner had been served, the teachers all retreated to their individual corners of the castle. Harry was content with petting Hedwig who stood on the table as the professors left. Soon only Dumbledore, Harry, Hedwig and McGonagall were left sitting at the table.

"Harry," Dumbledore started, "I believe that you should tell McGonagall about your abilities, my boy. She is your head of house, and is one of the best in the field of Transfiguration. While it is best to have as few people as possible know about it, I am positive that having your head of house in the know will only benefit you both to avoid potential incidents and to gain a better understanding of your abilities. It is, of course, ultimately your choice." the elder headmaster explained in a low tone.

Harry paled at what he had said, because while he trusted both the headmaster and deputy headmistress, in truth the woman still intimidated him quite a bit. He still recalled both how strict she was in punishing them after the whole Norbert fiasco and how hostile she was when they'd told her about their suspicions in regards to the Stone. That said, the Transfiguration Professor was ultimately fair in her judgements and had even helped Harry get put on the Quidditch Team instead of having him expelled earlier that year.

Harry thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons, before he looked at McGonagall. She gave him a small smile. Having made up his mind, Harry returned the smile.

Standing up, Harry stepped back far enough to give himself space.

Taking a deep breath, Harry pulled on the familiar feeling in his chest, and burst into flames.

Minerva shrieked as Harry Potter was engulfed in green flames, and she hastily stood up. Albus however caught her hand,

"Minerva. Look." he said. The transfiguration teacher looked in awe as a form emerged as the fires died down. Settling back onto all fours, Harry took in the additional emotional food he acquired by changing forms. Giving McGonagall a hesitant smile, Harry slowly trotted over to his teacher and head of house.

"H-hi professor…" Harry mumbled shyly. Hedwig, as if sensing her master's distress, took wing and circled him. After circling him a few times, she swooped down and settled herself on his back, just behind his wings. Albus had a small chuckle at the sight.

Minerva just stared blankly at the student-turned-creature in front of her. Acting without her mind, she reached out a hand towards the shiny black head before her. Harry hesitated for a moment, before reaching out with his head, careful not to hurt her with his horn. Minerva let lose a small smile at the sensation of Harry's smooth carapace against her hand. The young shapeshifter let out a soft purr as the teacher gently rubbed his forehead.

Dumbledore smiled at the tender scene in front of him.

McGonagall came to her senses, and realized that this was not only Harry, a thinking, living being, but she was petting him like a dog. Pulling her hand back, Minerva looked at Harry with a mixed expression.

Harry giggled at her expression, finding it quite amusing. After the two gave the elderly woman an abridged version of what really happened during the fight with Quirrell and Voldemort and Harry's new 'abilities', she agreed to help look into the Changeling boy's abilities during his stay at Hogwarts. Dumbledore then suggested that Harry should get ready for bed, as tomorrow they'd be busy not only exploring his capabilities but also looking into more permanent living arrangements for him.

Harry nodded his equine head, and became engulfed in green flames once more. Hedwig, who was still settled on Harry's winged back, let out a indignant squawk as she felt her current purch shift dramatically. Once Harry had returned to his human form, with Hedwig on his shoulder, he bade Dumbledore and Minerva goodnight, and set off for Gryffindor tower.

Dumbledore gave a content sigh,

"That boy really is something else, isn't he Minerva?" the vanquisher of Grindelwald said, taking a sip from a cooling tea that a house elf had brought him a while ago. McGonagall smiled.

"He really is Albus. The perfect mix of James and Lily, but he is so undoubtedly himself. That boy also the most adorable child I have seen in years. I can't tell if it's his charm or if it is my Animagus form that wants to sweep him up and cuddle him like a newborn kitten." the normally reserved transfiguration teacher gushed. Albus smiled at her reaction. It was clear that Harry would grow up quite well during his time at Hogwarts.

The deputy headmistress soon bid the older man a goodnight, leaving Dumbledore seemingly to himself in the room. Albus turned to look at a dark corner of the hall,

"You can stop skulking around now, Severus." he called.

The dark robed man stepped out from the shadows, a small smile gracing his usually dower face.

Without a word, the potions professor conjured a small flask, and put his wand to his temple, a silvery substance clinging to it as he pulled it back. Placing the silvery substance in the bottle, snape spoke,

"Should the Dark Lord ever return to the physical coil again, I will Obliviate myself of these events. My only memory of this will be in this jar." he declared, as he handed the jar to Dumbledore.

"I am trusting you, Albus. You trusted me when I spied for you in the Death Eaters, I need to be able to trust you fully." Snape whirled around, his cloak billowing behind him as he left the hall.

Before he left, the lithe man turned to face the headmaster,

"As hard as it is to admit it, I was wrong about the boy. I'll try to be more civil with the brat." and with that, he left.

Dumbledore smiled at the younger man as he walked out of the hall. He only hoped that things would turn out well. With the prophecy weighing heavily on his mind, the elderly professor headed to bed.

-{AN}-

 **Hey everyone, Endario here.**

 **I know that some of you have asked my how Harry knows occlumency and how Hermione read his mind, and i'll do my best to explain that now.**

 **Harry does NOT know occlumency, but like all living, sapient organism, he has mental defences. You do as well, it's just that in our world, you can't actually read minds. But your mind does try to protect itself. But in this world of Magic, where mind reading is a thing, is it not possible for at least those who possess magic to have pre existing mental barriers? Also think about Harry's life up until now. He's been abused all his life, and while some try to play off the physical abuse as never going "to far" in cannon, (Which i find to be BS) there is still distinct psychological abuse at play. He didn't even know his own name until he was in primary school, for crying out loud.**

 **Now as for how Hermione was able to see into his mind, i really can't say much. I don't want to spoil upcoming plot points, but i will say that there is a connection between the two, and no, its not romantic.**

 **I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter, i debated writing more, but though that i have kept you waiting long enough.**

 **Just a quick shout out to Mellra for letting me make this story, as the concept was their idea.**


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